The distribution and abuse of cocaine (particularly crack), heroin,
and marijuana as well as drug-related criminal activity are the primary
threats to public safety in the Chicago HIDTA region. Law enforcement
agencies in the region routinely seize large quantities of cocaine,
heroin, and marijuana and regularly arrest members of DTOs, criminal
groups, and street gangs. In 2006 Chicago HIDTA initiatives reported
the seizure of more than 1,813 kilograms of cocaine, 14 kilograms of
heroin, and 17,222 kilograms of marijuana. Mexican DTOs and criminal
groups control the transportation and wholesale distribution of illicit
drugs in the Chicago HIDTA region. Many of these traffickers are directly
associated with DTOs operating in Mexico or the southwestern United
States. Street gangs are the primary distributors of illicit drugs at
the retail level. These gangs regularly engage in violence to protect
their drug supplies, distribution territories, and illicit proceeds
gained from drug distribution.

Wholesale quantities of methamphetamine transit the Chicago HIDTA
region en route to drug markets in the Midwest; however, methamphetamine
distribution and abuse occur at low levels in the area. Law enforcement
reporting indicates that methamphetamine distribution and abuse are
limited to particular areas of Chicago, especially along the North Side
of the city among the gay community and those who frequent nightclubs.
Despite low abuse levels, methamphetamine-related treatment services1
at publicly funded treatment facilities increased from 2001 through
2005.

The greater metropolitan area of Chicago (Cook County), including
Grundy, Kendall, and Will Counties, has one of the largest illicit drug
user populations in the United States. Public health agencies report
increases in the number of persons seeking treatment provider services
for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana abuse in Chicago. For example, the
Illinois Department of Human Services, Office of Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse reports that the number of persons seeking treatment in publicly
funded programs in Chicago for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana abuse
steadily increased from 2001 through 2005 (the year for which the latest
data are available). Treatment provider services for heroin abuse surpassed
those for cocaine in 2001 and nearly doubled over that 5-year period.
Additionally, clandestinely produced fentanyl from Mexico has contributed
to hundreds of recent overdoses and deaths in the Chicago area. Varying
amounts of heroin and, to a lesser extent, cocaine were combined with
fentanyl by retail distributors. Heroin/fentanyl combinations were sold
to abusers in distinctive packaging with names such as Reaper, Penicillin,
and Lethal Injection. (See text box.) The potency
of the heroin/fentanyl combinations appealed to heroin users in the
area who were seeking a more intense euphoric effect. Abuse of fentanyl
and heroin/fentanyl combinations resulted in 339 deaths from August
2005 through December 2006, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's
Office. (See Figure 2.) However, the deaths and
overdoses have not been a deterrent to abusers.

On March 1, 2007, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern
District of Illinois announced a superseding indictment
that charged seven members of the Mickey Cobras street gang
in Chicago with conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl
in the Dearborn Homes housing project in the city. Members
of Mickey Cobras allegedly facilitated and controlled the
distribution of heroin mixed with clandestinely produced
fentanyl, which they obtained from Mexican traffickers who
manufactured the drug in Toluca, Mexico. Thirteen other
individuals associated with the organization were charged
with conspiracy to produce fentanyl. Members of the Mickey
Cobras street gang performed various tasks, including mixing
heroin and fentanyl, transporting it to locations at the
Dearborn Homes projects, selling the heroin/fentanyl combinations
to individual customers, and transporting the proceeds from
the sales.

Figure 2.
Number of fentanyl-related deaths in Cook County, August 2005-December
2006.